Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix is a strange land to me. I'm not sure if I loved the sunny skies or hated the 95 degree weather. Maybe it was just the fact that I was stuck in a fabulous hotel, living all by my lonely self in order to attend a tax conference filled with TAX ACCOUNTANTS. Let me tell you, those accountants sure love their software. OK OK, maybe I found a small tidbit of it interesting too. Regardless, my wedding venue radar was on as I was staying at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge Resort just north of Phoenix. The facilities were vast, parking was unlimited, courteous staff, and so many beautiful fountains.
Plus, bunnies. Yes, there were bunnies everywhere just chilling out on the grass and having a grand ol' time. The BC, was in bunny heaven.










I was lapping in luxury in the five pools and ok, I stuffed my face at the conference buffets. They had fresh blueberries and blackberries! I love me some antioxidents, but can you really blame a girl for that?

Wedding at the Fairmont

This weekend, I had the pleasure of coordinating an absolutely gorgeous wedding for Laura & Patrick, held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica. Yes, we were right across the street from the beautiful Pacific Ocean!

The ceremony was held at Palisades Park in a very informal, but clearly love-filled circle of family and friends. I felt so lucky and bubbly inside to be able to witness it.

Everyone was an absolute pleasure to work with. The staff at the Fairmont truly blew me away, I was very impressed. The only one that didn't feel like helping out was the weather! Oh LA weather, why must you torture us so?? The one day we were counting on LA's signature clear and sunny skies, it rains.

Peanut Butter & Almond Cookies - Yum!

If you love peanut butter cookies, you'll love this easy recipe! I tweaked this recipe to add in the almonds, because I didn't have enough flour to make a full batch. Personally, I find peanut butter cookies to be a bit dry, so I usually add a bit of chocolate somewhere in the cookie. Besides, do you really need an excuse to add chocolate to something?

1 cup sugar
3/4 stick butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup crushed, roasted almonds
Chocolate chips for decorating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg to mixture. Mix in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Stir in baking soda, crushed almonds and flour until well combined. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place on baking sheet and flatten with fingers. Place a chocolate chip in the center of each cookie. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until golden brown. Recipe yields about 40 cookies.